L. Keyon to Richard Yates

Peoria Ills Aug 11. 1862.

To His Ex Gov. Yates.

Gov. State of Illinois

Sir, Knowing that you take a lively interest in the welfare of our Illinois volunteers, I have a few facts to bring to your notice contained in a Letter now before me written by a non commissioned officer: Comp E 8th Reg. Ills Vols. - The writer is a young man extremely known in this City and known to be a man of truth. The Letter is date "Brownsville Tenn. Aug 5, 1862. He says, "I hardly know if it would do for me to recount the trying marches we have gone through from Sunday 27 ult. to the 3rd Inst. we have been on the Road. I am among those who have kept up. We have been treated Scandalously by our Commander M K Lawler commanding Brigade 8th, 18th 29th and 31st Ill Vols and about 800 Cavalry. He is the most unfit and unpopular Commander that ever had command in the West, and is disliked as much by the highest officers as by the lowest, in the Ranks His administration of affairs is highly injurious to the union cause

We have been Scouring the Country all round, after those infernal Rebels and Bridge Burners and without Success. Our cavalry came on them twice but they got away they are commanded by a man named Jackson from the Town of Jackson, Tenn They have done a great deal of Cotton burning We could see their tracks; but every Subordinate officer knows it is the height of Insanity to march an Army of Infantry after such gangs of Robbers. it is killing our men - thinning our ranks. Hot weather and dusty Roads, numbers of men drop from the Ranks and are left along the Roads, exhausted and exposed to the enemy

"Several have been Sunstruck. We will all be old men before our prime, crippled from fatigue and useless exposure - of course we could carry nothing in our long marches at night heavy dews, our clothes wringing wet with perspiration when allowed to stop to rest, we lay on the ground in heavy dews, no blankets nothing whatever but our old clothes on. We have strong cause of Complaint on account of the Orders issued. We were ordered to march with 2 days rations and we did march and have been kept marching 8 days in succession with that or nothing after the 2 days was out. we have had no bread for 6 days. The whole Brigade are dissatisfied and pronounce that the Commander ought to be Court Marshalled

He wants to get a name for expeditions at the expense of the lives of his men. and the damage of the Union Cause we have marched over 100 miles in the time above mentioned and the hardest and most disheartening marches the 8th ever had, we marched the whole of 2 nights and accomplished nothing

We Commenced at Sundown one night and marched without rest. till Sundown next day all to no purpose. many dropped out of the ranks. We had only one hours notice of this long march. we marched from Jackson to Denmark but the Guerillas outmarched us. or as I might truly say stopped at their houses on the way and laughed at us as we passed. this I firmly believe is a fact. we picked up hidden guns in corn fields and orchards and often we found the same number of men at the nearest house agreeing with the number of guns. We obtained much information from intelligent Negroes, how the Rebels fool us.

Our Commander is pronounced by all to be unfit for this Command creating dissatisfaction in the Army and a dislike to the service

It is most culpable carelessnessness, disgraceful, and dangerous in the last degree to have such a man in Command jeopardizing the Union cause most Seriously

We next marched to Brownsville we had to leave our new uniforms behind in Jackson our present stopping place is 2 miles west of the Town of Brownsville Were it not for the cause we all have at heart and for which we are fighting, our officer would all resign en masse, rather than Serve any longer under such a despisable Commander. Every order we hear coming from him the whole Camp set up a Shouting and Yelling all Kinds of ridicule, their hatred is unmistakeable

The whole Brigade would rejoice if Some Regiment were added to our Brigade whose Colonels would outrank "Lawler"

Dear Governor, can you not be instrumental in relieving the above named Brigade of the nuisance, and of their Cause of Complaint. Can you not learn from the Regimental officers the truth, and whether or not the men have just Cause of Complaint. I doubt not the whole Brigade would tender you a vote of unfeigned thanks.

Your obt. Servant

L. Keyon.

Notary Public

Peoria Ills

Box 231

Concerning Col. M. K. Lawler, 18th Infantry.

L. Keyon, Notary Public, Box 231, Peoria, forwards an extract of a letter from the 8th Ills. complaining bitterly of Lawler; that the men in his brigade are being uselessly marched & countermarched after guerrillas & that their sufferings are very great. One occasion they were for 6 days without bread.

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